Driving gear for rotary washing machines



March 18, 1924- r w 1,487,660

- C. KINGSTON ET AL DRIVING GEAR FOR ROTARY WASHING MACHINES Filed July 16. 1925 tlmrles It?" J'lbn w William M may .A il'bmg/J? Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES,

cnaanns KINGSTON AND WILLIAM ivrccnnsnnr, or LONDON, nnsnenn.

DRIVING- GEAR FOR ROTARY WASHING MACHINES.

Application filed my 16, 1923. Serial No. 651,939.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, CHARLES KINGSTON, a British subject, of .58 Twyford Avenue, Acton, London, England, and WILLIAM MoCHEsNEY, a British subject, of 6 Marlborough Road, Ealing, London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Driving Gear for Rotary Washing Machines for which we have filedv an application in -reat Britain on April 25, 1922, Number 198524), of which the following is a specification.

In rotary washing machines at present in use in laundries, dye works and the like, the goods to be washed are placed in a drum or receptacle with a cleansing fluid. Power is applied to cause the receptacle to make one or more turns (usually two to three turns) in one direction, then the receptacle is brought to rest and force is applied to make the receptacle revolve as nearly as possible the same revolutions in the reverse direction. The action is continued automatically as long as required. Should the turning action in both directions not be equal the goods are liable to become twisted or what laundrymen call roped and in addition to tearing and damaging the goods the washing is notsatisfactory, moreover when the receptacle comes to rest, before being reversed the goods are piled up on one side in the direction of travel of the receptacle, and being unbalanced assist the reverse action. Should the reverse force be applied too late, this momentum is lost and there is a loss of power with shock during the reverse action.

The object of the invention is to provide a drive which is positive in its action, the forward and reverse motion being exactly equal, with provision to take advantage of the unbalanced load in assisting the reverse.

The method of driving is by crank, connecting rod, quadrant and suitable gear to the hub of the receptacle. As the crank pin movement is designed to transmit power, suificient to cause the receptacle to revolve from two to three turns during each half revolution of the crank, the speed of the crank pin is accelerated at the dead centre to reduce the time required for reversing action also to take advantage of the unbalanced load which would be lost if the reverse was too slow.

The method used to obtain this acceleration is by having an elliptic spur wheel with a crank pin, driven by an eccentric spur pinion. By the eccentric pinion rotating at a constant speed the spur wheel is caused to rotate at a variable speed and the crank pin is fixed in a position on the ellipticwheel such that the movement at the dead r centre is greatest with correspondingly less more. than one revolution for each stroke of the connecting rod, thus caus ng considerable loss of power and unnecessary wear on the goods in the receptacle. 7

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a washin machine and gearing constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing a slight modification, and

Figure 3 is an edge view of the gearing showing a portion of the washing machine.

The belt pulley (1) has a pinion wheel (2) keyed to it. The pinion wheel (2) gears with a spurwheel (3). An eccentric wheel (4) is keyed to the spur wheel (3) and the eccentric wheel"(4) gears with an oval or approximately. elliptic spur wheel (5) having a crank pin .Theconnecting rod (7 is driven by the crank pin (6) and connects with crank pin (8) which actuates a tooth quadrant (9). The quadrant (9) gears with a spur pinion (11) which is keyed to a spur wheel (12). The spur wheel (12) is geared with the spur wheel (13). The spur wheel (13) is keyed to the hub (14) of the receptacle thus causing the receptacle to rotate in both directions. frame (10) having suitable bearings to support the gearing is'fixed to the end of the washing machine (15).

In the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the driving pulley (1) has a pinion (2) keyed to it, and this pinion (2) engages a spur wheel (3) to which an eccentric pinion (4) is attached. The eccentric pinion (4) engages the elliptical spur wheel (5) which 7 has fixed thereto on its longer diameter the crank pin (6). A connecting rod (7) driven from the crank pin (6) connects the latter to the pin (8) of the quadrant The 'where the receptacle is required to make The quadrant (9) drives the drum (17 7 of the washing machine through the medium of intermediate gearing consisting of pinion (11), spur wheel (12), pinion (15) and spur wheel (16) and pinion (13) which drives (15) and 16 are held in position by means of a radial arm (18) the centre movement of which is X, and by radial movement the spur wheel (16) can be adjusted to gear with the wheel (13) to complete the arrangement of gearing. The handwheel (19) with a pulley (20) connects with a pulley (21) by means of chain (22). The pulley (20) is attached to a pinion (23:) to gear with the wheel (3). The hand wheel (19) is used for turning the drum of the machine to any desired position when not driven by power.

What we claim as our invention and de sire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A driving and quick reversing gear for i'rotary washing machines comprising the combination of an eccentric driving spur E pinion, an elliptical spur wheel driven by 25 said eccentric spur pinion, and having a crank pin located on its longer diameter, a quadrant driving the drum of the washing machine the requisite number of times in ,opposite directions at each stroke through intermediate gearing, and a connecting rod attached at one end to said crank pin and connected at the other end to said quadrant. the hub ('14) of the drum (17 The wheels 7 2. A driving and quick reversing gear for rotary washing machines comprising the.

combination of an eccentric driving spur pinion and an elliptical spur wheel having a crank pin located on its longer diameter, and means for driving the drum of thewashing machine the requisite number of turns first in one direction and then the other from the said crank pin.

. 3. A driving and quick reversing gear for rotary washing machines comprising the combination of an eccentric driving 'spur pinion and an elliptical spur wheel, and means for drivingithe drum of the washing machine an equal number of turns first in one direction and, then in the other from said'elliptical spur wheelf W In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification at London this 6th day of July 1923. r

:CHARLES KINGSTON.

WILLIAM MoCI-IESNEY. 

